Off with a bang: Women’s 100m final moved up to LA28 opening day

The women’s 100m final will headline the first day of competition at the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics as part of organisers’ plans to “open with a bang”.The surprise decision, which will lead to all three rounds of the 100m taking place on the same day, was welcomed by the US sprint star Sha’Carri Richardson, who said it showed that “track and field is having its moment”.Britain’s Dina Asher-Smith also backed the switch for the Games, which will take place from 15-30 July. “It’s such an exciting opportunity – celebrating the enduring legacy, strength and global power of women’s sprinting, exactly 100 years on from the first time women competed in Olympic track and field,” she said.Sprinters usually run a maximum of twice a day, but World Athletics said it had consulted widely with athletes to ensure they were on board with the decision

Haskell warns club rugby is heading off a cliff ‘like Thelma and Louise’ as £34m losses revealed

The former England flanker James Haskell has likened English rugby to “Thelma and Louise heading off a cliff” after an independent report found Prem clubs made a combined loss of £34m last season.The report by Leonard Curtis, a leading UK corporate recovery and insolvency firm, suggests the game should consider adopting a franchise model, which it says would help Prem clubs to save up to £1.9m a year.Its recommendation comes after its financial audit of the English game found that six of the 10 Prem clubs were balance-sheet insolvent – albeit one fewer than a year ago – and had net debts of £342.5m, up from £329

The Spin | Why the first ball of the Ashes is both an end and a beginning

You always remember the first. Senses heightened, clammy palms, not quite knowing where to look or what to focus on. It is OK to be nervous … but is it normal to be this nervous? Castanet heart and goosebumped skin as the moment gets nearer. Just get this one out of the way, don’t put too much pressure on it. Calm down

British & Irish Lions plan ban on R360 players to stop Red Roses jumping ship

The British & Irish Lions are planning to follow the example of the biggest unions by banning players who join R360 in a move designed primarily to prevent an exodus of England’s Red Roses stars to the rebel league.Eight of the 12 tier-one unions, led by England and New Zealand, announced last month that they would not select R360 players, and the Guardian has learned that the Lions will follow suit. Ireland, Scotland, France, Italy, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa also came out in support of a ban, but Wales and Argentina did not due to smaller player pools and weaker domestic leagues.A number of England’s World Cup winners are leading targets for R360, with the full-back Ellie Kildunne saying last month that she is “open to anything”. With the next tournament four years away, there are concerns at the Rugby Football Union in particular that salaries of up to £270,000 in the franchise competition will be too good to turn down, despite the prospect of an international ban

Susie Wolff: ‘I can be very punchy and pragmatic. If I have to fight for something, I’ll fight’

Head of F1 Academy explains how close she came to a grand prix debut, her quest to produce female drivers, and a frightening knock on her hotel room door by a powerful man in the sport“There was a deep loneliness to karting, and then definitely in single‑seaters, because no one else was going through the same thing as me,” says Susie Wolff as she remembers her long struggle in motor sport, from racing as a teenager against Lewis Hamilton and Nico Rosberg to her determined, but unfulfilled, quest to become a Formula One driver.“After the whole #MeToo movement, we forget what it was like before. But the way I heard boys talking about girls in the paddock made me think: ‘I never want to be spoken about in that way.’ I realised I’d have to be whiter than white to get through it unscathed.”The 42-year-old says: “I couldn’t open up to anyone until I met [her husband] Toto

Ben Stokes hits back at England ‘has-beens’ over criticism of Ashes preparations

Ben Stokes has warned England’s players to be wary of an Australian media desperate to pounce on any indiscretion or hint of scandal, saying the Ashes tourists have already been the subject of some “unbelievable journalism” and that such treatment is “part of being in Australia … it’s not just stuff out on the field that can get you, it’s also the off-field stuff”.The England captain’s disgruntlement with his side’s treatment in the press extends to recent criticism of their preparations, with Stokes hitting out at the “has-beens” who have been leading the chorus of complaint and insisting “leave no stone unturned” and “have prepared incredibly well”.Stokes’s arrival in Perth last week prompted the West Australian newspaper to launch an attack on “England’s cocky captain complainer” over a front‑page photograph of the 34‑year‑old pushing his bags through the airport, while Joe Root was subjected to similar treatment on Monday.“I was a bit gutted when they turned their attention to Rooty because I was waiting to see what the next headline about me was,” Stokes said. “But it’s expected